Did you know that the number of people with kidney disease has tripled over the past 20 years?

As a result, VGH’s Renal Program – which provides comprehensive care 365 days a year to medically complex patients with kidney failure – is over capacity.

As BC’s main referral centre, VGH’s Renal Program is incredibly essential: as many as 40% of their patients come from other parts of BC and the Yukon. Besides helping people with regular dialysis, the Renal Program provides help to patients at VGH who are there for other reasons (such as surgery or other illnesses) and need to be dialyzed. No other hospital in BC offers the same level of comprehensive care. Demand far exceeds the ability to provide services and the Renal Program has been operating well beyond normal capacity.

It’s generous donors like the Aquilini family who are helping us provide life-saving medical treatments to patients, benefitting all people across BC who require dialysis.

This is why we’re tremendously grateful for a generous $1.3 million donation from Luigi and Elisa Aquilini, making it possible to expand and remodel the Hemodialysis Unit. The new centre, named the Luigi and Elisa Aquilini Renal Dialysis Centre, will have 12 new dialysis stations, as well as a state-of-the-art water purification system to ensure patients continue to get the safest and most effective hemodialysis possible.

In addition, the Independent Dialysis Centre will be relocated to enable more patients to dialyze at home. The benefits of independent dialysis are significant – improved survival, better quality of life, and reduced health care costs. And the benefits of the new Centre? More patients will receive care when they need it.

HELPING PEOPLE WITH KIDNEY PROBLEMS
Our kidneys are as important as our heart, liver or lungs. When kidneys fail, wastes accumulate, fluids become unbalanced, and without treatment, death can occur.

Tragically, kidney failure is on the rise. It’s estimated that 2.6 million Canadians have or are at risk of developing kidney disease. The main culprits? Our aging population and an increase in diseases linked to renal failure, primarily diabetes and high blood pressure.

Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) provides a wide range of services supporting prevention, health promotion, early detection, and management of kidney disease.

Additional services include diabetes education, counseling and disease management programs across the Lower Mainland, including programs specifically geared to elderly individuals who are simultaneously managing other medical conditions.

VCH also offers an innovative program designed to meet the educational and health needs of ethnically diverse patients, the only program of its kind in Canada.[:zh]

Did you know that the number of people with kidney disease has tripled over the past 20 years?

As a result, VGH’s Renal Program – which provides comprehensive care 365 days a year to medically complex patients with kidney failure – is over capacity.

As BC’s main referral centre, VGH’s Renal Program is incredibly essential: as many as 40% of their patients come from other parts of BC and the Yukon. Besides helping people with regular dialysis, the Renal Program provides help to patients at VGH who are there for other reasons (such as surgery or other illnesses) and need to be dialyzed. No other hospital in BC offers the same level of comprehensive care. Demand far exceeds the ability to provide services and the Renal Program has been operating well beyond normal capacity.

It’s generous donors like the Aquilini family who are helping us provide life-saving medical treatments to patients, benefitting all people across BC who require dialysis.

This is why we’re tremendously grateful for a generous $1.3 million donation from Luigi and Elisa Aquilini, making it possible to expand and remodel the Hemodialysis Unit. The new centre, named the Luigi and Elisa Aquilini Renal Dialysis Centre, will have 12 new dialysis stations, as well as a state-of-the-art water purification system to ensure patients continue to get the safest and most effective hemodialysis possible.

In addition, the Independent Dialysis Centre will be relocated to enable more patients to dialyze at home. The benefits of independent dialysis are significant – improved survival, better quality of life, and reduced health care costs. And the benefits of the new Centre? More patients will receive care when they need it.

SIDE BAR STORY: HELPING PEOPLE WITH KIDNEY PROBLEMS
Our kidneys are as important as our heart, liver or lungs. When kidneys fail, wastes accumulate, fluids become unbalanced, and without treatment, death can occur.

Tragically, kidney failure is on the rise. It’s estimated that 2.6 million Canadians have or are at risk of developing kidney disease. The main culprits? Our aging population and an increase in diseases linked to renal failure, primarily diabetes and high blood pressure.

Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) provides a wide range of services supporting prevention, health promotion, early detection, and management of kidney disease.

Additional services include diabetes education, counseling and disease management programs across the Lower Mainland, including programs specifically geared to elderly individuals who are simultaneously managing other medical conditions.

VCH also offers an innovative program designed to meet the educational and health needs of ethnically diverse patients, the only program of its kind in Canada.

Support the Renal Program.